Buckle.



N0. ss7,s5s.- v PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

W. A. BALDWIN.

BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10,1905.

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Attorneys.

WILMER A. BALDYVIN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed June 10.1905. Serial no 264,622.

To aZZ whom! it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILMER A. BALDWIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

The object I have in view is the production of a double buckle to be used upon washable garments and which may be readily removed therefrom when necessary.

A further object is the production of a buckle which will be cheap to construct, which will not injure the fabric of the straps to which it is secured, which will firmly stay in place, and which. may be adjusted without regard to whether it is right side up or not.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying my invention and attached in place to the two straps. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view thereof, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device illustrated in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the buckle removed from the straps; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to that illustrated in Fig. 2, but with the straps arranged in a different manner.

In all of the several views like parts are designated by like reference characters.

In carrying out my invention. I provide a buckle which comprises a base portion 1 and two arms 2 and 3, pivoted thereon. The base portion 1 is preferably of the generally rectangular shape shown and is provided with ears 4 4 at the corners, which ears are preferably made integral with the base, as shown. The base may be made of suitable sheet metal, as may also the arms 2 and 3. The center of the base 1 is cut away, forming a large rectangular opening 5. The ears 4 are perforated, as shown, which perforations engage with projections 6 6, which are formed, preferably, integral with the arms 2 and 3. These projections constitute a means for pivoting the arms 2 and 8. The arms 2 and 3 are each preferably alike, and both are of the generally rectangular shape shown, the projections 6 6 being nearer one edge than the other. Each arm 1 and 2 has a short or cl ampingportion and a longer or operating portion. The projections 6 6 are located upon the clamping portion. The edge of the clamping portion is left plain or unserrated.

The clamping portion and the operating portion form approximately a right angle with each other at 8. Each of the arms is provided on the operating portion with an opening 9, which is preferably rectangular in shape and of considerable size. Each edge of the base 1 betweenthe ears 4 4 is bent or curled upward toward the arms 2 and 3, forming a ledge 10 and arranged to be engaged by the edge 7 0f the arms. The parts are so proportioned that upon the arms being swung upon their pivots the edges 7 will engage with the base 1, pinching whatever fabric is passed within the buckle between the edges 7 of the clamping portions of the arms and the ledges 10.

It is to be noted that the ledges 10 are so arranged relatively to the arms 2 and 3 that the edges 7 will engage with the fabric, pinching it against the ledges when the other edges 7 of the operating portion of the arms are forced inward against the fabric. Any tendency of the fabric to pull away from the clasp will be resisted by the arm pivoting upon the rojections 6 6 and forcing the fabric against t 1e ledge 10 and the edge 7 a of the operating portion of the arm against the fabric adjacent to the center of the base, the pinching action increasing with the amount of pull.

The straps may be arranged in the buckle in a number of ways, of which two are illustrated. As shown in Fi s. 1, 2, and 3, the buckle is semipermanently attached to the strap 12, the latter being passed under the edge 7 between the arm 2 and the ledge 10 and its free end through the opening 5 in the base of the buckle. The other strap 11 passes between the base 1 and the edge 7 of the arm 3, and its free end may pass out between the free ends 7 a of the long sides of the arms 2 and 3, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or the end of the strap may pass under the free ends 7 a of the arms and then pass through the opening 9 of the arm 2, as shown in Fig. 5. The buckle may be adjusted upon the two straps by sliding the strap 11 through it, the buckle remaining stationary and semipermanently attached to the strap 12. Any desired adjustment may be secured by this means and the buckle entirely removed when desired by disengaging both of the arms 2 and 3. The free ends of the arms are arranged to be separated a very short distance when they are pressed upon the fabric. This will increase the grip of the buckle, as the strap 11, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, will lie between IIO the free ends of the two arms, and the stronger the pull upon the straps the tighter the free ends of the arms will press the strap against the buckleframe.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is somewhat more advantageous than that shown in Fig. 5, as the buckle will be very firmly secured to the strap 12, and should the user wish temporarily to entirely disengage the strap in the buckle from the other strap this can be done by raising the arm 3 from engagement with the strap 11 and withdrawing the said strap. The other arm will remain clamped to the strap 12, so that the buckle will be insured against any possibility of becoming lost.

Both sides of the buckle being alike, the clasp will be symmetrical and either end may be semipermanently attached to the strap. Furthermore, it is immaterial which side is up or down. Consequently no care is to be taken to see that it is right side up when applied to the garment.

The absence of serrations or prongs renders the buckle particularly desirable for use upon garments, especially Washable garments, they having usually delicate linen straps, as prongs or serrations ordinarily employed will injure such delicate fabrics.

Having now described my invention,-what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letter Patent, is

1. A double buckle and straps used on washable garments, comprising a base having an opening sufiicient in size to permit the passage therethrough of the garment-straps, perforated ears integral with and disposed at right angles to the base, the ends of the base between the ears being turned up to form straight toothless ledges, and having approximately right-angled arms, both having short portions and longer portions, the said arms being provided with integral projections on their short portions, the said projections engaging with and pivoting the arms to the ears, straight toothless clamping edges formed on the short portions of the arms, and serving to clamp the straps against the base-ledges, the longer portions of the arms being of a length suflicient to clamp one of the garment-straps between them when the arms are in their folded position, both of the said arms being substantially alike, so that the clasp will be symmetrical and either end may be semipermanently attached to the strap.

2. In a double buckle for use on straps of washable garments, the combination with the straps, of a base having an opening sufficient in size to permit the passage therethrough of a strap, perforated ears integral with and disposed at right angles to the base, the ends of the base, between the ears, being turned up to form straight toothless edges, approximately right-angled arms, both having short portions and longer portions, the said arms being provided with integral projections on their short portions, and openings sufficiently large to permit the passage of a strap on their longer portions, the said projections engaging with and pivoting the arms to the ears, straight toothless clamping edges formed on the short portions of the arms, the said edges serving to clamp the straps to the base-ledges, the free edges of the longer portions being contiguous and pressing upon the straps.

3. A double buckle comprising a base hav ing an opening sufficient in size to permit the passage therethrough of garment-straps, perforated ears integral with and disposed at right angles to the base, the ends of the base between the ears being turned up to form straight toothless ledges, the buckle also having approximately right-angled arms both having short portions and longer portions, the said arms being provided with integral projections on their short portions, the said projections engaging withand pivoting the arms to the ears, straight toothless clamping edges formed on the short portions of the arms and serving to clampagainst the baseledges, the longer portions of the arms being of a length sufficient to clamp one of the garment-straps between them when the arms are in their folded position, both of the said arms being substantially alike, so that the clasp will be symmetrical.

This specification signed and witnessed this 24th day of May, 1905.

WILMER A. BALDWIN.

Witnesses JAMEs SKINNER, Jr., GEO. W. LEAOH. 

